


Lavenders and Lillies

by ScarlettFAngell



Series: Flowers Universe [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Breeding Kink, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Mpreg, Injury Recovery, Knotting, M/M, Mpreg, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shiro's A Daddy, funky galra stuff, heat/rut cycles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:54:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23927962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarlettFAngell/pseuds/ScarlettFAngell
Summary: Kolivan tilted his head, gaze going to Shiro. "Have you visited him yet?"Shiro frowned. "Visited who?"The Blade leader smiled. "I think you know exactly who I'm speaking of, Shiro."He stood up and approached the Blade leader, not looking at Daxus. "Kolivan--""Not here, Shiro."(Missing Scenes from Don't Smell the Flowers: Shiro's POV, the things you don't see in Flowers.)
Relationships: Keith/Kolivan/Lance (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron), Lotor/Shiro (Voltron)
Series: Flowers Universe [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1724827
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	Lavenders and Lillies

**Author's Note:**

  * For [EmeraldLight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmeraldLight/gifts), [Theit](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Theit).



> Sooo, yeaaah. You can guess what this is. There's some stuff you don't see in Flowers, and this is Shiro's POV, covering some things from parts II and III of Flowers that you wouldn't otherwise see. There's probably gonna be more, but uh, anway. Enjoy!

_**Vrenz led the way down the hall,**_ barely acknowledging when Daxus and Lance split off down a seperate corridor. Shiro watched them go for a moment then turned back to the pilot, following him down the increasingly familiar halls. Shiro suddenly stopped short, inundated with memories of Druids leaning over him and immense pain from mid-bicep down. He grabbed for his arm, shying away when Vrenz turned back to him.

“Shiro?”

Shiro shook his head. “Why are you taking me to the labs?”

The Blade hesitated, glancing up and down the corridor. "I'm not taking you to the labs, Shiro. I'm taking you to the medbay."

"Why?"

The Blade seemed to stare back at him for a moment, and Shiro frowned. Then Garla reached up and lowered his hood, dismissing the mask at the same time. Shiro's frown deepened, and he tilted his head to study Vrenz a little. The Galra didn't look....full Galra. Not completely. There was something else, something he'd seen before. Altean, maybe? Shiro thought he kinda looked a bit like Lotor just with darker skin and darker hair. And Lotor's fucking eyes. It was disorientating.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Shiro." He lowered his hands to his sides and watched him carefully. "In fact, I'm here to offer you a gift....on behalf of a mutal friend who cannot currently give you the gift themselves."

"Who?"

Vrenz shook his head. "I can't tell you yet."

"Why not?"

The half-Galra didn't respond to that, turning to lead the way down the corridor again. "Come, this way."

Shiro hesitated briefly before following the half-Galran pilot down the hall and through several twists and turns until the reached the medbay and Vrenz pulled him to a stop outside it. He stared at the Blade, gaze narrowed, and the Blade stared back, searchingly. Then he reached out and opened the door.

"I'm sorry, Shiro," Vrenz said, then turned and strode into the room.

He followed slowly, gaze landing on the Galra medics first, then Axca and finally on the prophestic arm sitting on a surgical bench nearby. It was mostly white with lavender highlights, glowing softly--a stark contrast to the black and white one he'd had while with the Galran Empire. Shiro stared at the arm for a moment then up to Axca.

"Is this...?"

"Hi Shiro," she said, smiling at him as he moved towards the arm as if entranced. "We have a gift for you."

"We found some blueprints on Lotor's ship," Vrenz was explaining, but Shiro was barely listening, his attention on the arm. "They were labeled Shiro, and when we checked, we found that they were blueprints for a new arm. It seems someone was rather fond of you."

Shiro reached for the arm and hesitated, left hand hovering over it. "I know he was fond of me..." He looked up at Axca again, frowning, then down at the arm. "How...how did you get..." And then he realised, gaze darting back up to Axca, then Vrenz. "Where is he?"

Axca winced, but Vrenz frowned, looking away. "What do you mean?"

"Where. Is. He?" he demanded, turning on Vrenz with a glare. "Take me to him."

Vrenz and Axca exchanged a glance and then Axca sighed, moving forwards a step and touching the arm. "Can it wait until we've fitted this?"

"No. I want to see him." Shiro doesn't even realise he's growling. " _Now_ ."

They exchanged another glance and then Axca sighed. "Fine." She jerked her head at the pilot. "Vrenz, show him."

\------------------

_**The chamber Vrenz took him**_ to was....not what Shiro was expecting. Dark except for the pod he was in, soft blue-purple glow illuminating the surgical table nearby, the medical equipment on standby, dark and silent, still. Like a fucking tomb. And yet, there he was. His Lotor. Face a little gaunt, body bruised and battered, but not in any way that could be seen, sucked almost dry, as if from the inside out. Shiro swallowed, reaching out with his remaining hand to touch the glass gently, right over Lotor's cheek.

"How long?" he whispered, feeling as if speaking too loudly would ruin the calmness of the tomb they were in. Soft beeping noises from the monitor nearby let him know that his beloved wasn't dead. Not yet. "How long has he been in here?"

"Three years," Vrenz said, equally as quiet. "About as long as you were gone. The Empire's too busy fighting itself. Haggar and Sendak's control over them in tenious at best. It won't last much longer; they're amassing power as we speak."

Shiro can't look away, eyes tracing the dark veins crawling over Lotor's face, down his neck, across his torso. He can't see the mark Lotor asked him to leave on the back of his neck, but knows it there. He can feel it, a hollow ache right down to his bones, and he swallows shallowly.

"That's....a long time...to be in this..."

"State?" Vrenz supplied for him and he nodded. "I know. He was weak when we found him, and he's still weak, even now...and growing weaker." He paused, and Shiro finally glances back, hand still resting on the glass. Vrenz looked a little guilty, a little ashamed, and Shiro frowned at him. "He's been steadily getting worse since...since...."

"Since when?"

Vrenz shook his head. "It's not for me to say."

Shiro snorted and turned back, leaning forwards to rest his forehead on the glass and wishing his Lotor would wake up. But the Emperor was asleep, dead to the world beyond his healing-stasis-pod and he couldn't help the tears that threatened to fall. Shiro exhaled heavily.

"I miss him."

The pilot is quiet for a long moment, just letting Shiro take his time to reunite with someone who can't hear him, and then there's a hand on his shoulder and Shiro pulls back with a soft sigh. "Come on. Let's go get that arm attached, yeah?"

Relunctantly, Shiro let himself be guided away from the pod and out of the room. Vrenz took him back to the medba. And to Axca, still patiently waiting for him so she could attach the new arm. Shiro wasn't sure he wanted it, but... Lotor had made it for him, and, well, he'd honour his request.

It only took about an hour to attach the arm, the pain of artifical nerves attaching to real ones, metal prosphetic fusing with flesh. It was worse than last time, when he was at the arena and the druids had hold of him. But no, that wasn't right. It wasn't the druids... It can't have been. 

Everything grew a little hazy after that, distracting, and a little painful. Sure, it hurt, but not like last time--in a different way. He was consenting to it this time, and that made everything different. It made everything different and Shiro wasn't sure he liked it, but he'd deal. He'd had worse.

\------------------

_**He'd only woken up about**_ twenty minutes ago, but clearly an hour and a half had given Lance and Keith enough time to bond and catch up, along with Daxus. He slipped into the room alone and with a new arm, tired but trying to keep up his fascade. He spoke to the boys, leaning against the wall just inside the door, and watched them fondly for a moment, distracted by their conversation and by Vrenz entering a few minutes later.

Apparently, the pilot had been looking for him. Shiro turned towards him, frowning and Vrenz started telling him lowly about Lotor's status, about the shuttle they'd come in on, their expected departure time the next day. And then Keith was making a pass at Lance and Shiro was choking on his words, and Lance bolted past them out into the hall.

"Lance!" Shiro went to go after him but Vrenz grabbed him arm and hauled him back into the room. "Vrenz--"

"Don't worry about him, Shiro. Go see Keith. I'll get someone to check on him."

He hesitated for a moment, looking out the door then towards where Keith and Daxus were sitting, heads bowed together and laughing over something. Shiro watched carefully for a moment before huffing out a breath and heading further into the room. Daxus and Keith fell silent as he approached.

"Hey buddy." He took the seat between them, sparing Daxus a glance. The Galra smiled at him and leaned back against the couch. "How're you doing?"

Keith lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. "I'm okay. Tired a lot, but okay."

Shiro chuckled. "Yeah, being pregnant kinda does that."

"Yeah, well....maybe next time Kolivan can do it."

Daxus giggled beside him and Shiro cast him a questioning look, but the pretty half-Galra just shook his head. "What?"

"Nothing," Daxus said, still sounding mildly amused. "Nothing at all."

From the other side, Keith growled lowly. Shiro suddenly felt caught in what seemed like a long-running feud between the two. Or, perhaps, it was between Keith and Kolivan? He glanced warily between the two, watching carefully.

"Do I even want to ask what this is about?" he asked, gesturing between the two. Daxus was smirking but Keith... Keith looked pissed. "Keith?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

With that, Keith got up and waddled towards the bedroom. Shiro made to stand, but a hand on his arm had him pausing and sinking back down into his seat. Daxus's grip tightened and Shiro was left watching the door as his little brother closed it behind him.

"He's been taking it hard," Daxus said softly, his voice low. "He blames Kolivan for not warning him about the, uh....flowers on that planet. But Kolivan did warn him. I was there, and well. You know how Keith is."

Shiro chuckled and ducked his head. "Yeah, headstrong and angry at the world."

"Yes, that. Obviously, he didn't listen and now..." He gestured to the room around them, and sighed. "Well, this."

"Clearly."

Daxus turned his sharp eyes on Shiro and they narrowed. "So why are you here?"

Shiro gazed back, keeping his expression careful and neutral. "Why don't you tell me."

The half-Galra smirked at him. "There's something here you miss, isn't there?"

He exhaled and gently pulled him arm--the new Galra-Altean hybrid tech one--out from beneath Daxus's hand. Daxus definitely knew something... Probably knew exactly why he was here, and it wasn't just because of Keith. It seemed the Blades had a lot of secrets. Shiro sighed and shifted in his seat, glancing towards the bedroom door again.

"Are you sure he's okay?"

"Yeah, he'll be fine."

Shiro turned to look at him again. "Really?"

Daxus shrugged. "He's had a lot of things change lately. I'm here for him if he ever needs to talk about it."

"It's good that he's got someone to talk to..."

"Mmh."

Shiro sighed heavily and shook his head, glancing towards the door when it opened again. He wasn't surprised to see Kolivan stepping into the room. The Blade leader had been on Earth for a few hours, obviously speaking to the Garrison. Kolivan paused by the couch, glancing down at them.

"Where is he?"

"Bedroom," Daxus told him, jerking his head towards the room in question. Kolivan glanced towards it then back to them. "What?"

Kolivan tilted his head, gaze going to Shiro. "Have you visited him yet?"

Shiro frowned. "Visited who?"

The Blade leader smiled. "I think you know exactly who I'm speaking of, Shiro."

He stood up and approached the Blade leader, not looking at Daxus. "Kolivan--"

"Not here, Shiro."

"Fine," he said and backed up a step. "When?"

"Daxus, why don't you find Vrenz for me?" Kolivan glanced towards the other Blade member, who stood stiffly and shuffled for the door. The Blade leader waited until he was gone and then turned to Shiro once the door was closed. "Why is Keith crying in the other room?"

"I'm not sure? Keith was complaining about being pregnant and then he retreated to the bedroom."

Kolivan sighed and glanced away, towards the bedroom. "I'll talk to him. You go see your beloved, hm? Lance is there, but he'll be a while. Give the boy some time to talk to him; they have a few things to sort out."

"He's unconscious, what could he and Lance possibly talk about?"

Kolivan huffed out an amused breath. "You tell me. I'll take you to him, once Lance is done."

Shiro sighed and glanced down, tracing the barely perceptible markings on the floor. "Don't you have anything else to do?"

"Mmh, a few things, I think. Some inventory reports to go over, some missions to assign... Nothing that can't wait for a bit."

"Nothing that can't wait?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "And Keith?"

"I'll check on him."

With that, Kolivan brushed past him and disappeared into the bedroom. Shiro turned to watch him, frowning as the door closed behind Kolivan. He sat down again, one finger tapping against his knee, that same leg jiggling slightly. He couldn't help it, he was nervous, and Kolivan's behaviour was putting him on edge. Lotor was in a fucking healing pod on the Blade's Nursery Ship, and they hadn't told him. They hadn't told anyone. Fucking Kolivan and his stupid fucking secrets. Shiro scowled, eyes fixed on the low table in front of him.

Suddnely, the door opened again and Vrenz made to step into the room. He hesitated when he saw Shiro sitting there, then fully entered the room and came to parade rest just inside the door. It slid closed behind him.

"Kolivan?"

"Bedroom." Shiro didn't feel like saying much, not right now. His mind was too full of annoyance and anger, and...well. He missed Lotor. A lot. Three years, give or take... It was a long time to a human, and sure, Curtis had been flirty, had been trying to get into his pants, his bed....but, Shiro? Shiro hadn't been interested. Not since Lotor. He sighed and leaned forwards, resting his elbows on his knees and letting his hands hang down between them.

Silence reigned over the room for several minutes, Vrenz standing by the door and Shiro sitting on the couch, not looking up even when the bedroom opened and Kolivan stepped out. He seemed to pause just inside the room, then he approached them carefully, picking up Lance's half-empty drink from the table and giving it a sniff.

"So. You went to see to him?"

"Yes."

"And was it as you'd thought it would be?" Kolivan grimaced and set the drink back down, turning to face Shiro, standing over him. 

"No."

"Hmmph."

"Sir, you summoned me?" Vrenz asked, interrupting the way Kolivan was staring down at him. The Galra blinked and turned to the other Blade member with a low growl. Vrenz stiffened, but he didn't move.

"Take Shiro back there. I think they could do with a little alone time."

"Yes, sir."

With that, Kolivan strode out the door, past Vrenz. He didn't look back, but he did wait out in the hall, as if he expected Shiro to join him. Shiro heaved a sigh and got up slowly, moving to follow. Once in the hall, Kolivan led the way and Vrenz fell into step behind him.

\------------------

_**Lotor's room was dark and quiet,**_ untouched. They'd seen Lance leave from around the corner, hiding from him. Shiro had insisted on it, not wanting to Lance to see him here. Not yet. He'd probably already figured it out, but, well. Shiro wanted the illusion to last just a little longer. Kolivan left him at the door, letting Vrenz take him inside and back over to the pod. Shiro watched his husband for several minutes through the glass before he glanced towards Vrenz. The pilot had also been watching Lotor, but now his attention was on a monitor nearby. It beeping faster, irregular, but faster.

Shiro frowned, watching as Vrenz stepped up to it and starting tapping away at the screen. There were medics in the room this time, two or three of them, all cleaning or preparing the medical equipment nearby. "What's wrong?"

"His brain activity has increased." Vrenz's frown deepened. "It spiked a couple times when Lance was in here, but now it's steadily rising..." He trailed off and glanced towards Shiro. "He could be waking up."

"Waking up?" His eyes widened and he looked back to Lotor. "That's a good sign, right?"

"Maybe. Talk to him, Shiro. Let him know you're here."

Shiro swallowed, watching his beloved and approaching the pod. He reached up with his new arm, placing his palm flat to the glass over Lotor's cheek. "Hey baby," he whispered, suddenly nervous. What if it didn't work? What if talking to Lotor didn't help? Still, he had to try. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. You're safe, Lotor... You're safe, okay?"

The monitor's beeping increased and he glanced away briefly to find Vrenz focused intently on it. "Keep talking, Shiro."

He wet his lips, turning back to put his forehead against the glass, exhaling heavily. "I got the new arm. The one you drew blueprints for? The one you wanted to build for me?" He flexed his fingers against the glass, chuckling slightly. "It's amazing, darling, but I want you to see it, too." Shiro pulled back so he could watch Lotor's face carefully. It almost looked like the Emperor was grimacing, but he couldn't be sure. "Lotor? Baby? I know you can hear me. Wake up, please?"

Vrenz turned to him, eyes bright. "It's working, Shiro... He's waking up--"

Suddenly, Lotor's eyes flew open, glassy and unfocused. His hands hit the glass hard and Shiro stumbled back, eyes wide. Vrenz was shouting orders, and then the pod was opening and Shiro was there, catching Lotor carefully and lowering him to the ground, craddling him against his chest as Lotor panted heavily. He cupped a cheek, guiding Lotor's face to his and smiling down at him. "Hey baby."

"S-Shiro?" Lotor sounded lost, and he felt so skeletal in Shiro's arms, but he was aware. He was speaking, sounding confused and voice croaky from disuse. "Shiro?"

"Yeah, it's me," he said softly, leaning down to press their foreheads together. Lotor's hand came up to his cheek, touching him carefully, almost reverently. "It's me."

"Where....?"

Vrenz crouched beside them, a hand on Shiro's shoulder. "Blade Nursery Ship," he said, keeping his voice low and soothing. "The _Dayak_. You're safe, your majesty. You're safe."

Lotor's glassy eyes darting towards the pilot and he blinked slowly, a frown creasing his forehead. Shiro had to fight to hold still. Lotor looked so fragile like this and all he wanted to do was bundle him up in a bunch of blankets and carry him off the rooms he'd been assigned. But he couldn't do that. He wasn't sure if Lotor would be okay, not yet. He needed to wait.

"You're been in a healing pod, my lord."

The frown deepened. "H-how...how long?"

"Three years, roughly."

Lotor's eyes widened and he struggled weakly against Shiro, but Shiro was there to brush his lank hair out his eyes and turn Lotor's face back to him, trying to calm him down, to sooth him. "Shh, baby, shh. You're safe."

"M-my...colony....my...my..."

"Hush, my lord," Vrenz reached out to place his other hand on Lotor's shoulder, and the Emperor flinched back from the contact, curling into Shiro. The Blade immediately withdrew his hand. "You need to stay calm. You were quite weak when we found you."

"Vrenz, back off for a second," Shiro muttered, watching Lotor carefully. Vrenz did just that, withdrawing his hand from Shiro's shoulder and climbing to his feet, wandering off towards the medics. They started speaking in low voices, but all of Shiro's attention was on Lotor. "Lotor--"

Before he could finish, Lotor suddenly turned and vomited, mostly bile, shaking slightly in Shiro's arms. He held him steady, holding his hair out of the way and brushing his knuckles over Lotor's cheek and then shifting away from the little puddle of stomach acid on the floor.

"S-sorry..."

"It's okay, it happens." He kept stroking and Lotor leaned into him, eyes slipping closed. "Better now?"

"A...a little..." Lotor's breathing was slightly strained, probably from vomiting, but Shiro didn't mind. He pressed a chaste kiss to his Emperor's cheek. "W...where....are we...?"

"The _Dayak_ ," Shiro began but Lotor was shaking his head even before he'd finished speaking. "No? What do you mean?"

Lotor's expression pinched up, like he was trying to think past a massive headache. "S-space...? Orbit?"

"Earth. We're orbiting Earth."

"Oh," he said, like the word was punched out of him, and then he was shaking in Shiro's arms, crying out softly. Shiro cursed, turning for the medics, but they were already there. He knew the signs of a seziure when he saw one.

"He's having a sezuire," he said quickly, letting the medics settle Lotor onto the floor, on his side. He could only watch as Lotor shook and twitched, moaning pitifully against the floor. "Grand mal, I think?"

"Yes, a bad one," one of the medics said, then turned to yell at Vrenz and the other medic. "Prep for surgery, we may need to go back in!"

"Surgery?!" Shiro yelped, but then he was being brushed aside and there was a medic kneeling behind Lotor, holding him steady but not fighting to keep him still as he sezied over and over again. He watched as Lotor threw up again, and the second medic made sure to keep his airway clear.

It took several long minutes before he finally stilled and one of the medics exhaled a sigh of relief. "Quick, get him up onto the bed."

Shiro moved to help, only half listening to the medics as they spoke over and around him. They settled him onto surgical bed and Shiro leaned against it, watching Lotor's slack face, stroking a thumb over his cheek.

"Seven minutes, twenty-six seconds..." 

He frowned. That was a pretty long time to have a seziure, and he wasn't sure what it meant. He knew he definitely didn't like it, but he accepted the damp cloth from one of the medics and started cleaning up Lotor's face, wiping away tears and vomit. As he was doing that, Lotor's eyes fluttered open and he stared up at Shiro with a tiny smile and glassy eyes.

"Hey," he said softly, leaning down to kiss Lotor on the cheek again. "Feeling better?"

"Feel like shit," Lotor muttered back, turning his head into Shiro's hand and reaching up shakily to grab hold of it. Shiro let go of the cloth in favour of Lotor's hand, chuckling.

"Yeah, seziures have that effect on people."

"Mmh, tired."

"I know, baby," Shiro told him, "I know."

The medics buzzed around them, attaching a human heart monitor to Lotor's chest, another monitor to his head and finally inserting an IV, setting up to give him fluids. Shiro was hyperaware of their movements, but Lotor didn't seem to notice until the needle for the IV was inserted; he winced.

"You're dehydrated," he explained to Lotor, carefully stroking hair back from his face. "It's an IV. Let them help you."

"Hurts," Lotor whispered and Shiro just kept stroking his hair back, careful of the nodes monitoring his brain.

"It'll pass," Shiro murmured, pressing a kiss to his forehead again. He glanced up as Vrenz hesitated by his side, eyeing the other half-Galra carefully. "What's up?"

"I have to leave for a bit, but I'll be back very soon." He nodded to Lotor where he lay on the bed, half aware. "Keep an eye on him?"

"Of course."

Vrenz nodded again and then strode for the doors, disappering out into the hall. Shiro watched him go for a moment before a squeeze on his hand brought his attention back to Lotor. His beloved was watching him with wary eyes, slightly clearer than they'd been before. Shiro smiled at him.

"Hey, what's up?"

Lotor smiled back. "Hey."

A medic threw a blanket over him and tucked it under him gently. Shiro chuckled and leaned down a little closer, resting their foreheads together again. Lotor's smile grew a little and he closed his eyes, sighing through his noise.

"I'm...really safe?"

"Yeah, you are. Promise."

Lotor nodded slightly and leaned into him. A few minutes later, he was fast asleep, purring slightly. Shiro didn't want to move, wouldn't have moved even if the medics asked him. He refused to leave Lotor's side. They didn't bother asking him, and he was grateful for that. He just watched Lotor sleep for a while, and then frowned when he heard voices approaching a few minutes later, glancing up.

Vrenz appeared in the doorway with a kid on his hip. The kid couldn't have been more than two, maybe two and a half. And he looked kinda like Lotor... and kinda like him. He stared, eyes wide as he watched Vrenz approached, talking softly to the kid in Galra, smiling. The kid--a little boy--looked mostly human, but his eyes were soft violet, his hair all white, his skin a light human skin colour. Not quite as tanned as Lance or his own skin, but clearly reminiscent of it. And the kid was giggling softly.

"Vrenz? What?"

The pilot turned towards him, bringing the kid closer to the bed Lotor was laying on. "And this," he said in English, "is your daddy."

He froze, eyes darting between the kid and Lotor, mouth hanging open. It was... impossible! There was no way. He did the math, knowing he'd been with Lotor multiple times before Lotor went into the rift, knowing that he hadn't actually spent a heat with the man, because apparently Lotor only had those once every five or so years. The kid was two and a half, max, two at the least... Lotor'd been with the Blades for at least three years, he'd been weak when they found him, weaker since...well, clearly having the kid. He couldn't help staring, especially at the way the kid made grabby hands first for Lotor, then for  _him_ .

"Daddy!"

Shiro wanted to run. Because there was no fucking way this was his and Lotor's kid, and yet, impossibly, it was. He swallowed, glancing down to Lotor, whose hold on his hand was like a death grip. As much as he wanted to run, he couldn't... He refused to leave Lotor like this, especially over something as stupid as being a father. Which he, apparently, was. Lotor had never told him. Hell, he probably hadn't even known.

"W-what...?"

"Don't freak out," Vrenz said softly, adjusting the kid on his hip. "Lotor didn't know when you all went into the rift." The pilot swallowed and then lowered his gaze. "Or perhaps I should say Father didn't know...."

His head was spinning and he felt suddenly dizzy, sagging against the bed. "I... I'm..."

Vrenz smiled softly. "A father, yeah."

He cleared his throat, eyes of Lotor's face. "What happened?"

"Lotor returned first," the pilot--Lotor's older son, apparently--said softly and carefully. "We discovered him first, luckily, before Haggar and Sendak could." Vrenz paused, coming to lean against the bed on the same side as Shiro, down near Lotor's hips. "We found the Sincline...with Lotor inside. He was pretty badly injured....and also three months along."

" _Fuck_ ," Shiro whispered, closing his eyes and hanging his head. He hadn't known. None of them had known. "Then what?"

"We brought him here, onto the _Dayak_ , and kept him safe. Kolivan didn't want to tell anyone, just in case someone tried to kill him before he woke up. He's been unconscious this whole time."

"The...whole time?" Shiro raised his head and glanced towards the kid, his son. He gestured between them vaguely. "Even when...?"

Vrenz nodded. "We had to, uh...cut him open."

"Oh," he said softly, glancing towards Lotor again, really paying attention now. There was marks up one side of Lotor's neck, like lightening scars. He swallowed. "Oh, my....my god..."

"He'll be alright. We've got the best Medics in the Blade tending to him."

Shiro nodded absently, stroking Lotor's hair back one last time before he braced himself, squared his shoulders and turned to look at the curious little boy peering up at him from Vrenz's hip. He smiled slightly, one hand still absently held in Lotor's. Apparently, his Emperor refused to release him just yet, even in sleep.

"Hey buddy," he said softly, watching as the kid's eyes lit up and he grinned. "C'mere."

Vrenz set the kid on the bed and he wiggled the few feet it was to Shiro, throwing his arms around him. Shiro felt his eyes tear up and blinked quickly, gazing down at the kid basically wrapped around his middle. He refused to look up to see if Vrenz was watching. He was pretty sure he was anyway.

"What's your name, kiddo?"

"Masaki!" 

The name was muffled into his shirt, but Shiro heard it all the same. The tears he'd been trying to hold back welled up and over, and he hugged the kid to him tightly. Trust Lotor to have been researching Earth and Japan while they were together. He'd been subtle in his questioning. Shiro hadn't even thought about the possibility of being parents, but clearly Lotor had known it would happen...eventually. He'd been prepared. Shiro hadn't even realised what he'd been doing when Lotor had asked about Japan and Earth all that time ago. He sobbed into his son's hair, careful not to crush him too much. His new Galra-Altean tech hand was in Lotor's, and he didn't want to move it, so he just held Masaki to him with his flesh hand and cried silently, trying to stiffle the sobs.

"Hey, Masa?" That was Vrenz, and Shiro glanced up, teary-eyed to find the Blade pilot watching him and the kid warily. "I think you should give your daddies some time alone, yeah?"

Masaki mumbled in Galra and pressed tighter to him, and Shiro felt his heart stuttering, felt pride swelling in his chest. It was a precious gift, his son. And he had Lotor back. He hadn't died. Shiro'd spent so many weeks, so many months, mourning him, that it was a bit of a shock. He swallowed and gently pried his kid off him.

"Hey kiddo," he said softly and Masaki looked up at him. "You can come back again when daddy wakes up, okay?"

"Otay," the kid mumbled and wiggled back over to Vrenz. "Byebye."

"Bye kiddo," Shiro said softly, watching as Vrenz picked him up again and took him out of the room. The hand on his tightened again briefly, then relaxed. He turned back to find Lotor watching him through half-lidded eyes, clearly awake again. "Hey."

"You met him."

"Mmh."

Lotor frowned and released his hand to reach for his face. Shiro leaned down to make it easier for him, feeling his fingers brushing at the tears on his face. "You're...crying?"

"Happy tears, I swear," he promised, leaning into the fingers on his cheek. They turned into a warm, firm palm cupping his cheek. "I had no idea."

"I'm sorry, Shiro... I should've had them tell you...but..."

"Kolivan, I know."

Lotor watched him for a moment, silent but more aware than he'd been a few minutes ago. After a moment, he reached for Shiro with his free hand, wincing when the movements tugged on the IV in the back of his hand.

"Come here."

"With pleasure," Shiro chuckled, leaning in close so Lotor could catch his face in both hands and bring him even closer. He closed his eyes as their mouths met, Lotor lips parting on an almost-silent gasp. It was slow kiss, meant to reaccquaint them with each other after so long apart. Exploriatory. Shiro exhaled into the kiss, smiling slightly when they finally parted. "Missed you, too."

"Mmh," Lotor sighed and let his hands fall away from Shiro's face. "Don't leave."

"I'm not going anywhere."


End file.
